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Think of small text, and often legalese, terms of use, credits, and tiny annoying instructions spring to mind. When working with the strict number of constraints that come with small text, it’s sometimes tricky to know where to start. So to help you weave your way through the world of small text, here are some tips and tricks and a roundup of our best Collection Tier FontFonts suitable for this slight but by no means insignificant intended use.

When it comes to small text, it’s the size of the letters within the available space that counts. To ensure optimal legibility simpler forms help. No parts of the text should disappear. Typefaces optimized for small sizes often have reduced stroke contrast; the thinner parts of the letters are almost as heavy as the thick bits. A high x-height can help, too – plus short ascenders and even shorter descenders. Letters themselves are often somewhat wider. If your typeface doesn’t already have generous letter spacing, add more tracking to your text!

It may be true that we read best what we read most. For years, much of the tiniest text appeared in dictionaries and newspaper classified ads; these were often set in serif faces. However, sans serifs perform well in this environment if they have large counters and open apertures – think about the traits in humanist sans types. Whatever typeface you pick, it should not be too fancy: small text leaves no room for detail.

Small text rarely appears alone – who wants to read a document where everything is tiny? Go for a selection that works well small, but also includes some contrast between its family’s weights: If you set some words in the middle of a line in bold, you won’t want this to go unnoticed to the reader. Think about how your selection combines stylistically with the larger type in the document, too.

About our Collection Tier

Our Collection Tier FontFonts are a selection of cost-effective typographical treasures offered as full families. All packages are available in OpenType with Standard language support (with a few key exceptions) and are all affordably priced under €/$ 100 each.